Click
on the name to read their biography
Known for such powerful hits as "Fear
of the Dark" and "The By the release of Live After Death, Iron Maiden
had already established themselves as a powerful and unique metal band. Their
long-awaited 1986 
Trooper,"
IRON MAIDEN was and is one of the most influential bands of the heavy metal genre. The
often-imitated band has existed for over twenty one years, pumping out wild rock
similar to Judas Priest. Iron Maiden has always been an
underground attraction; although failing to ever obtain any real media attention
in the U.S. (critics 
claimed them to be Satanists due to their dark musical
themes and their use of grim mascot "Eddie"), they still became
well-known throughout the world and have remained consistently popular
throughout their career. Iron Maiden was one of the first groups to be
classified as "British Metal," and, along with Black Sabbath, Led
Zeppelin and a host of other bands, set the rock scene for the '80s.
Iron Maiden was first formed in 1976 by bassist Steve
Harris, who would soon join up with rhythm guitarist Tony Parsons,
drummer Doug Sampson and vocalist Paul Di'Anno. Before finally
obtaining a record deal, the group played in local areas throughout the '70s,
receiving a fair amount of London air play. Parsons was replaced with Dennis
Stratton, and the band made its record debut in 1980 with their self-titled Iron
Maiden album. Although the release was recorded in a hurry, it was
nonetheless a hit in the U.K. due to the single "Running Free."
Iron Maiden's 1981 follow-up, Killers, displayed a harder approach
to their music than 
before, and also saw the replacement of Stratton with
Adrian Smith. Due to his uncontrollable alcohol addiction, Di'Anno
was forced to part company with the group and would soon be replaced with
vocalist Bruce Dickinson in 1982 for the band's groundbreaking release, Number
Of The Beast. This album, boasting such songs as the title track and "Hallowed
By Thy Name," would come to be known as one of the greatest rock
recordings of all time. Since the unexpected
worldwide success of Beast
made them international rock superstars, they changed very little of their style
for their next album, Peace Of Mind. They undertook two major tours
before recording 1983's Powerslave, which would go on to be another cult
hit. The product of Powerslave's 11-month tour was 1985's Live After
Death, a double live album the featured all of their biggest hit singles.
supplement album, Somewhere In Time, showed a bit of
departure from their past releases, showcasing the use of synthesizer guitars
and songs more relevant to the same themes. 1988's Seventh Son Of A Seventh
Son, a concept album like that of its predecessor, featured the singles "The
Evil That Men Do" and "The Clairvoyant," and soon
became 
Iron Maiden's most critically acclaimed album since Number Of The
Beast. After another exhausting tour, Smith departed and the band
took a one year hiatus. With new guitarist Janick Gers, they resurfaced
with No Prayer For The Dying in 1990, a record that returned to the
classic sound the group used when recording their earlier releases. One of the
album's singles, "Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter," was
granted the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Song Of The Year, but it
nonetheless gave the band its first #1 U.K. hit. By the time the 
group finished
their 1991 tour, Dickinson expressed desire to leave and work to promote
another band he had founded, the Skunkworks. Fear Of The Dark, the
band's last album with Dickinson, debuted at #1 on the U.K. charts and
became one of their biggest selling albums to date. After their supporting tour,
two live albums were released in 1993: A Real Live One, which contained
live versions of their newer hit singles, and A Real Dead One, which
featured the more "classic" Maiden songs live. Dickinson's
replacement, Blayze Bayley, marked his debut in 1995 with The X Factor.
While the record failed to chart as well as some of its predecessors, it was
still a minor success in England. Iron Maiden marked the end of 1996 with
Best Of The Beast, a double compilation album. In 1998, little interest
in the Virtual XI album prompted Bayley's termination; Dickinson
and Smith returned to the band for a tour in 1999 and a new album, Brave
New World, the following year.
